


A House By The Ocean

by hanji101



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/F, Implied Sexual Content, Nobility, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 10:40:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29277087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hanji101/pseuds/hanji101
Summary: Tina Cohen-Chang was used to being chased all her life by suitors solely because of her unique heritage, which she had always resented. She tried her best to live her life without worrying about the impending threat of marriage, but when an attractive blonde from a noble family comes to announce that she is here on behalf of her brother, Tina becomes engaged to a man she's never met.And this all becomes worse when she believes she's catching feelings for the girl.
Relationships: Tina Cohen-Chang/Quinn Fabray
Kudos: 7





	A House By The Ocean

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever finished fic that isn't a complete multi-chapter mess! Enjoy! Comments mean THE WORLD to me!

Tina wasn’t  _ from  _ here. So she was used to the stares people gave her as she walked by, when they saw her long, straight dark hair and dark brown eyes uncommon to this region. She’d been getting them all her life, these looks. Again, because she wasn’t from here. She was born somewhere far, far from here, towards the eastern part of the continent, if it could be even called the same continent as the one she was on currently.

She hardly had any memories of these people of her home kingdom. She knew what she was told- it was a land east of here, a peninsula full of people who looked like her. She was taken from there at a young age of ten months old when her parents, who were nobles, she was told, traded her away to a wealthy family in the west to guarantee her “safety” during a time of war. 

She couldn’t say she ever felt out of place. Sure, the gazes of the awed townsfolk and the constant attention from upper-crust boys was more than most noble girls the age of eighteen would have to deal with, but she had no memory of her homeland, and so the kingdom around her was the most familiar place on earth. It was perfect. She had a loving family and a good home, and that was all she thought she needed in life.

As she walked through the streets of the crowded sunday marketplace, she felt less stares than usual. The usually moving crowd had quieted its chatter and where she’d normally feel the gazes of many eyes burning into her skin, she could feel them directed to something- or someone else. 

Tina looked around, looking for the object of the public’s current attention. After her eyes skimmed around the marketplace, from the performing street musicians to the beggars on the side of the road to the children playing in the fountain, they settled on the visage of a carriage. 

It was clearly one belonging to a noble family of her family’s standing, if not higher. It was painted black with slick paint and lacquered to a shiny sheen. The wheels were made of fine steel, not the clunky iron of a peasant’s carriage. Even more a surprise were the horses stationed in front of it- huge, well-muscled black stallions of a fine breed. The carriage’s setup was impressive, but Tina still wasn’t prepared for the maiden about to step out of it.

Calling her beautiful would be an understatement. The girl- who looked to be about Tina’s age, maybe a year older, was slender with long legs and a shapely body- less curvy than Tina’s, but all the same enough to make some young men in the crowd sigh. She appeared to be taller than Tina by about an inch. She had an even prettier face with a perfect nose and cheekbones, which was accentuated by her flowing light blonde hair that ran down to her shoulders, shorter than Tina’s. 

The breathtaking woman smiled politely and waved as the crowd stared at her, stepping back into the carriage to retrieve a fine pack, and back out into the marketplace. A tall bald man stood next to her and whispered something into her ear, then pointed in Tina’s direction. The blonde’s eyes glided through the crowd and settled on Tina, looking her up and down. Tina could feel herself shiver under the girl’s scrutiny, and seized up more when the finely-dressed woman walked towards her, the bald man following. 

“Are you Tina C.?” She asked, extending a gloved hand to Tina. Tina looked down at it for a second before meeting it in a handshake. 

“Yes. Can- can I help you?” Okay. So this girl clearly had some business with her. But what would that be? 

The blonde gave Tina a dazzling smile after releasing her hand. “My name is Lucy Fabray. But please call me Quinn instead.” Her voice was somewhat husky, with a smooth, sexy, and rich undertone to it. Tina returned the smile, if not somewhat awkwardly. Her nervousness was growing a bit- a girl from a prominent family about her age showing up at the marketplace, looking for her? 

“Well, nice to meet you, Quinn. What- what brings you here?” Tina asked. The girl known as Quinn looked surprised.

“Oh, you haven’t been informed yet?” Tina furrowed her eyebrows. No, she hadn’t been informed of anything. “My family sent me here to meet with your family for business reasons. I’ll be staying with you for a while.” Quinn explained. Tina indeed had not been told about this.

“What kind of business reasons?” Tina asked. Her family wasn’t super high-up politically or anything, they were distantly related to the queen and that was the only reason they really had their status. They received payments from the royal family and by connection were given a large chunk of land which they sold off and chose what to do with, so they were basically just glorified landlords. She didn’t really think her family was important enough for this sort of thing. 

“Well, uh, my family has been interested in your-” she trailed off and looked Tina up and down “unusual background.” Of course. This was another one of those attempts to get Tina to marry in to another family just so some entitled noble could have the bluff of having an ‘exotic’ bride. Tina stepped backwards, away from Quinn.

“Let me guess, they want me to marry into the family.” She said, her voice dripping with venom and resentment. Quinn looked a bit taken aback by Tina’s change in attitude and reached out to put a hand on Tina’s shoulder, which the black-haired girl batted away.

“Don’t touch me.” She huffed out. Quinn recoiled and Tina turned around to walk off. After taking a couple steps, she paused and turned around. “Nice to meet you,  _ Quinn,  _ but I wish it could have been on different terms.”

Tina walked away quickly, after that, leaving Quinn standing in the middle of the marketplace alone. 

\-----

Tina broke into a full-on run as she got farther away from the market, hiking her long dress up above her ankles to prevent tripping on the fine fabric. She was annoyed. Enraged, even, if she was being honest. She’d hoped that the constant suitors would stop after one particular boy she’d been engaged to when she was fifteen- the son of a merchant by the name of Artie Abrams- had tried to dictate the terms of the engagement and after she cut him off, held a grudge and convinced his father to cut off trades with the town. After this, Tina had gone to her parents furiously and demanded no more suitors. 

But she supposed they hadn’t listened. Because here she was, after only three years of peace, she was expected to try again with another guy. Quinn had seemed nice. The sort of girl Tina would love to be friends with. But of course she was here on her family’s behalf, to try and convince Tina to marry some stuck-up rich boy so she could be a trophy wife to a jerk with a tiny dick and suffer through twenty years of lackluster sex. But she guessed that was the fate most women of her status suffered, sadly. 

\-----

Tina arrived back at her house and nods to the butler who opens the door for her, giving him a small smile. After he took her coat- a mid-length forest green cape with a red clasp- she removed her shoes and walked promptly down the manor’s wooden hallway. When she reached the end of the hall, she turned to the right, entering into the kitchen. 

The kitchen was large, but not huge, seeing as the cook only had to feed Tina’s family and the staff, which only consisted of a butler, three maids, and the cook herself. The cook was humming to herself by the stove, working on a pot full of something savory that Tina could smell- and it did smell delicious. 

She waved to the cook, a short and stubby woman dressed in a brown dress and apron. The woman waved back to Tina.

“Oh, Tina, you’re back. Your parents need to see you in the dining room.” She said sweetly, rushing towards Tina. She handed her a custard tart- one of Tina’s favorite treats, and the best dish on the cook’s vast repertoire of delicious recipes. Tina thanked her, taking a sniff of the fresh custard tart before biting into it. The cook smiled at her and Tina waved again as she continued into the dining room.

Sitting in the dining room was her parents, Antione and Mary. There was no resemblance between her and them, with Antione and Mary both sporting green eyes and reddish-brown hair while Tina’s darker hair and eyes were a stark contrast. It made sense, considering they weren’t her biological parents, but when Tina was asked if she considered them family she would always answer yes. 

Sitting also at the table, across from Tina’s empty seat, was a blonde woman with striking hazel eyes. It was her- from earlier- Quinn. Tina took a breath and seized up upon noticing the visitor- the last person she wanted to see here. She opened her mouth to speak slowly but was cut off by Antione’s loud voice.

“Tina, I understand you’ve met Lucy Fabray?” He asked as he took a sip from his cup of wine. Wine in the afternoon? Brave choice for her father, Tina knew he was weak to alcohol. She could hear Quinn, a few seats down, mutter something under her breath, most likely along the lines of ‘It’s Quinn’. Antione paid no notice either because he didn’t hear what Quinn said or didn’t care. 

Tina nodded. “Yes, I have, father.” She tried to keep her composure in front of her parents and not let her anger seep into her usually perfectly ladylike behavior which she kept up in their presence. 

“Then you’re aware she’s here to see if you’re suitable to marry her brother who has expressed an interest in you, correct?” Antione said, taking another sip of the fine wine. 

“Yes. I am aware.” Tina said with careful articulation, making sure to roll the letters off her tongue just right so as not to slip up. She pulled out her chair and sat down in the cushiony seat across from the staring Quinn. 

“But I want to know what about me saying I didn’t want any more engagements or suitors until I decide I’m ready, after what happened with Artie?” Tina questioned. 

“Tina, you’re eighteen now. You’re a woman. We need to wed you before you’re considered to be expired.” Mary said this regretfully, as if she were resentful of the customary tradition of marrying girls off before they turn 21. Which she probably was- Mary had been married at 18, as well. Tina sighed. 

“And you expect me to marry a man I haven’t even met? What’s the deal with this, why isn’t  _ he  _ here?” She was honestly getting annoyed about this especially. I mean, what if he wasn’t even attractive? 

This time it was Quinn’s turn to answer the question. 

“It’s a tradition in my family, the courtship process begins with seeing if the sister of the groom can get along with the bride, and then you move on to meeting him.” Quinn said. She spoke awfully casually of this for such a stupid and weird tradition. Quinn continued.

“So, I’ll be staying here a few weeks to see if you’re right for my brother. That’s all.” Quinn looked Tina in the eyes while explaining it. 

“I- so where are you sleeping?” Tina asked. “The maids need to get the guest room ready.”

“Well, according to the tradition I’m supposed to stay in your room.” Tina tensed up a bit and her eyes widened. Quinn laughed nervously.

“No, no, don’t worry, I’ll be sleeping in a second bed they set up.” Tina relaxed. She wasn’t against the idea of spending time with Quinn, she supposed, but the threat of marriage to the unknown brother was not desirable. 

“Oh. Alright.” Tina said, standing up and pushing her chair back in. “I’m going to go take a walk through the gardens, if that’s alright?” Mary smiled at her and clapped her hands together. 

“Splendid, why don’t you take Lucy with you?” She asked, motioning to Quinn. Quinn nodded in assent and stood up from the table to follow Tina.

\----

Quinn smiled at Tina as they walked down the cobblestone paths of the family’s rose garden. All around them were huge bushes full of blooms of all colors, red, white, pink, and even less popular yellow and orange ones. Quinn liked flowers- they calmed her, reminded her of pleasant spring days lying on the grass and listening to the wind softly rustle the plants around her. She never had a garden back at home, as her parents claimed they were superficial and too many staff were needed to take care of them, which she found rich coming from her parents who covered everything they couched in decadence. 

“I’m sorry for earlier, Quinn.” Tina said as they walked from one bush to another, admiring the blooms. “I was surprised, and I’ve been adverse to the idea of marrying for a while. So I guess I sort of panicked.” 

“It’s perfectly fine. I- I understand that.” Quinn replied. “But I was looking forward to getting to know you, Tina, so I hope we can set aside the reasons for my visits and just get to know each other?” 

Quinn wasn’t lying. She genuinely wanted to know Tina. She’d only even been able to put a face to her name (which wasn’t exactly obscure among nobles) hours ago, and while she wasn’t as mysterious as she was said to be, she didn’t disappoint.

If anything, Quinn liked that Tina was so down-to-earth. The whispers of nobles always spoke of Tina as a majestic goddess from the east, surrounded with an air of exotic mystery. These assumptions always bothered Quinn, and no doubt Tina as well. Tina was a person, a real, living breathing person she could talk to, she always thought, not a rare species of bird to put in a cage and show off at parties. 

“I’d like that.” Tina said, giving her a dazzlingly sweet smile. Quinn felt like her teeth could have fallen out from the sweetness of the sight. “So, Quinn, tell me about yourself, then. Are  _ you  _ wed?” Tina asked the question casually, but Quinn was glad the answer to it was no.

“No, I’m not.” She smiled back at Tina. “My parents aren’t placing as much importance on it seeing as my brother is the heir.” 

Tina nodded.

“So, the Fabrays are diplomats, correct?” Tina asked. 

“Yes, my father and mother both travel often on business to other nations. They do great work.” Quinn replied. 

“What’s it like when your parents aren’t around and it’s just you and your brother?” Tina questioned. 

“Well, we have a quite large estate staff so it’s never exactly lonely.” Quinn laughed. “And I’ve never been that close with my parents anyway.”

Once again, this was the truth. She didn’t hate her parents, nor did she even dislike them, but she’d always preferred keeping to herself and reading books upon books in her family’s extensive library.

“Do you have any hobbies or talents?” Tina asked, slowing down the pace of her walking to closely examine a particularly large white rose. 

“I like to sing and read books.” Quinn said, training her own eyes on the same rose Tina’s were on.

“Oh, I also like singing.” Tina smiled. “Though most days I spend walking around the town or the surrounding fields. It’s calming, and I prefer the open air to the tight restrictions of the manor.” 

Quinn nodded along as Tina continued to talk about how she usually spent her days; walking along the countryside or the streets of the town, sometimes sketching things she saw. They sat there for quite a while, Tina talking and Quinn simply listening to her voice, eyes on Tina’s lips as she spoke. Sometimes Tina would stop to tell Quinn a certain story- about the time Tina saw an acting troupe passing through town, the time she was almost mauled by a bull in the countryside, the mysterious woman in the dark cloak with the strange aversion to sunlight who she saw walking around the town at night. Tina had many stories to tell about this town, and Quinn listened with interest.

It was sundown before the girls had noticed, as they were sitting in the garden talking to each other. From behind them Quinn heard a voice. 

Antione was standing behind the girls, holding a golden wristwatch. Watches, and timepieces in general, were expensive around here, with the only clockmaker practically rolling in gold, so the common people had to do with telling the time through the sky. Luckily, Tina’s family was fortunate enough to be able to tell the exact time of day.

“It’s getting late, you two should come in for dinner. The room is ready for you two, so when you’re done you can go to bed without having to wait.” Antione said. Tina and Quinn nodded and followed the man inside for dinner.

\----------

“Pssttt. Tina.” A low, breathy voice said from across the room. Tina rolled over in her bed so that she was facing the blonde girl across from her in the room. 

“What is it, Quinn?” She asked, whispering back as she tucked herself under her own covers.

“Goodnight.” Quinn whispered back, then laughed. Tina rolled her eyes and turned back over in bed so she was facing away from the blonde. 

“Goodnight, Quinn.” 

\--------

Over the course of the next few weeks, Tina and Quinn spent a lot of time together. Tina would tell the girl her stories, talk about her troubles, she even opened up about her disastrous past engagement. She didn’t feel like she had to live up to “the mysterious girl from the east” or whatever strange, vaguely racist labels people around her would give her. Talking with Quinn, it always felt like she could be herself. She could be at ease. 

But she wasn’t just finding joy in the time she had to spend with Quinn. It was required, Quinn’s family’s tradition, and all that, but she wasn’t just making the most of being stuck in an engagement. She didn’t want this to end. She and Quinn hit it off, so it would be obvious she passed the check and she’d be sent to meet Quinn’s brother. 

Tina wasn’t sure what her feelings were. She had no idea, really. She enjoyed every moment she spent with Quinn. She enjoyed seeing her smile, hearing her voice, singing with her, even, on occasion. She always got butterflies awakened in her stomach when Quinn would brush her hand across her own, smiling as a slight shiver ran down her spine. They were friends. But Tina felt they had something else. More than friends. Something- something that would make her not so keen on the idea of marrying Quinn’s brother.

Whatever these feelings were, Tina had two options. She could escape them- run away, never have to deal with noble life, Quinn, suitors, her parents, or any of that again. She could live as a commoner without all the complications. 

She could face it head-on. She could tell Quinn how she felt- Quinn surely wouldn’t feel the same- but at least she’d get her feelings out there. She wouldn’t have to worry or wonder anymore. She could go off to her new life with her new husband, accept it for what it was. And she’d still get to see Quinn.

Of course, there was the unspeakable 3rd possibility. That Quinn would return her feelings.

Tina and Quinn were sitting in the rose garden, where they had spent much of their time together, nibbling on a picnic Tina had gone into town to buy for them. Quinn munched on a small tea sandwich delicately, and Tina watched her lips move subtly up and down with the motion. It was sinful, almost, how well they moved. How Tina could picture them moving again- against hers. She felt her face heat up as red rose to her cheeks.

Quinn smiled at her, looking amused.

“Tina, are you alright?” she asked, reaching out to clasp Tina’s hand. Tina was jerked out of her thoughts by the voice and she jerked her hand away from Quinn’s quickly.

“Tina?” Quinn furrowed her brows in concern. “Is something bothering you?” She reached out again to put a hand on the shorter girl’s shorter, but she withdrew it, knowing Tina might not want to be touched right now. 

“Quinn…” Tina began, pointing her eyes down to the ground as to avoid Quinn’s gaze. “I’m not… I don’t know how to say this.” She took a deep breath as Quinn stayed silent. “But I… I don’t want to marry your brother.” 

Quinn opened her mouth a bit and promptly closed it, motioning for Tina to continue.

“I think- I love someone else.” She paused and continued. “We- we’ve spent so much time together, and it’s been amazing. It’s been perfect. I- I don’t want it to end.” Tina buried her face in her hands. “I… I love you.” She whispered quietly under her breath.

Quinn didn’t need to ask her to say that again. She heard it. Quinn moved to grasp Tina’s hands, pulling them off of her face gently so she could look into her eyes. 

“Tina.” She placed her hands on her shoulders. “I- I feel the same way.” Tina’s eyes widened to the size of saucers.

“W-what?” She asked slowly. “But. It’s not- it’s not possible. We’re both-” Tina began to protest the validity of their feelings, but was quickly cut off by the touch of Quinn’s lips to her own. 

Tina’s eyes widened even more than they were previously. Quinn- Quinn was- they were- this was a kiss. Tina’s breathing went from surprised and panicked to slowed and calm as she relaxed into the kiss. After a few more moments with their lips attached, Tina pulled away, this time clasping Quinn’s hand.

“Quinn- what about your brother?” She asked, still staring into the blonde’s eyes.

“It- it’s fine, he doesn’t matter.” Quinn said. “We- we don’t have to worry about that right now. We’re together. And it’s just us. Only us.” 

Tina, this time, lunged forward toward Quinn, pushing her up against the floor as she kissed her deeply. She allowed Quinn’s hands to wander, exploring Tina’s back, clawing at the fabric as if in an effort to remove the dress separating her hands from Tina’s soft skin. 

Quinn opened her mouth just a bit, allowing Tina’s tongue entrance. Tina nervously complied to Quinn’s silent request, running her own tongue over Quinn’s perfect straight teeth. Quinn sighed softly and stroked the back of Tina’s head, playing with the silky black hair. 

Eventually, they seperated, and Tina let out a sigh. Their eyes met and locked into each other for a while, just drinking in each other’s gazes. Where their looks had previously been full of nervousness, of confusion, they now stared into each other's eyes with complete clarity. 

A voice yelled from inside the manor, jolting the girl’s out of their own private reality. Antione- calling them for dinner. Quinn stood up and smoothed her dress, shooting Tina a quick smile and a look before heading inside.

\--------

_ What now? _

Tina pondered this question for the next few days. Things with Quinn had for the most part, stayed how they had before the kiss, with the exception of the odd looks they shot each other. And the times they locked lips… and the times they found themselves in bed with one another. And the feeling of complete and utter euphoria Tina felt with her. 

But despite the changing nature of their relationship, the impending fate was still looming over their perfect days like a stormcloud rolling towards the plains at an agonizingly slow pace. 

Tonight was the last night. Tomorrow, Tina was to move to the next stage of courtship, meeting Quinn’s brother, accepting his gifts, his flattery, the inevitable exoticising comments. She’d be wed to him within a month, and then locked into an endless cycle of hosting parties, making pies, and mediocre sex. 

As Tina lay in bed next to Quinn, a tear dripped down her cheek. She didn’t want this to end. She couldn’t let it end.

Quinn rolled onto her other side so she was facing the dark-haired girl and snaked her arm around under the blanket to wrap it around Tina’s warm but still shivering body. The blonde’s fingers soothingly stroked up and down the other girl’s soft skin, comforting her through a sob that the girl let out. 

“We could run away, you know.” Quinn whispered into Tina’s ear. “We could leave this place. We could change our names and ride to some distant land. We could go anywhere. East, west, north, south. We could see the world.” 

“A-a house. By the ocean.” Tina choked out. “Far from any towns.” 

“Yes. Perfect. We could spend our days together by the sea, listening to the crashing of the waves against the shore.” Quinn nuzzled in closer to Tina, so close the other girl could feel her warm breath on her neck.

Tina couldn’t manage to get an answer out, simply letting out a sob and reaching her arms around to embrace the other girl. Quinn sniffed as she felt a tear rolling down her own cheek, but tried to focus her attention on Tina, comfortingly stroking her soft skin. They could do this. They would do this. They’d leave at dawn.

\-------

` Tina dismounted her horse and tied it to a tree, watching as the blonde across from her did the same. The right side of her mouth quirked into a smile, which eventually spread to both corners and into a full-on grin. The blonde walked towards her and reached out to intertwine her fingers with the other. 

They’d been on the road for weeks, only stopping at inns for food, most often choosing to sleep in the dark, cold woods. As they travelled west, they saw posters popping up in every settlement, speaking of two runaway noble girls and a handsome reward offered by the brother of one of them. The girls knew word was getting out, and soon they decided they wouldn’t even be able to go into towns for supplies, opting to trade with caravans they were sometimes lucky enough to cross paths with. Their fine clothes were exchanged for sacks of food, their silverware for sturdy riding gear, and their jewelry for long, flowing hooded cloaks. They slowly began to no longer resemble the lives they had left behind, no longer did their appearances show off the excessive affluence of their families and their birthright. They were stripped down, naked, to themselves. Only themselves.

It had taken a while to get to where they were, but here they were now, hands intertwined, staring at the sun rising over a glittering ocean of glassy blue water. A seagull let out a call, alerting the others of the sunrise, and it flew up into the sky, followed by the rest of its flock.

They were here.

“A house.” Tina began.

“By the ocean.” Quinn replied, squeezing her lover’s hand tighter.

**Author's Note:**

> I'll eventually be uploading a deleted scene from this fic, you can find it on my profile once it's out, but warning it is smutty.


End file.
